Is MAF Collection Services Calling You?*

Is MAF Collection Services calling you?* Here’s what you need to know.

When you’re struggling to make ends meet, an already-trying situation is made even more unbearable when debt collectors start calling and demanding that you pay, or else they’ll garnish your wages, have you arrested, or worse. Sometimes you get so stressed out that you wonder if personal bankruptcy is your only option to stop the harassment. It isn’t.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

Bullying indebted consumers is illegal under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Although debt collectors may legally call or send you letters to collect a debt, they are not allowed to be harassing or abusive. Below is a sample of actions that violate the FDCPA:

• Threatening legal actions they cannot take, such as having your property seized and wages garnished
• Using profane and obscene language
• Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone
• Calling your workplace if the collector knows that your employer won’t allow it
• Revealing details about the debt to anyone but you, your spouse, attorney, and co-signers
• Threatening harm to your person, property, and / or credit rating

Alleged Violations against MAF Collection Services*

MAF (Merchants Association of Florida) Collection Services is a debt collection agency located in Tampa, Florida and Traverse City, Michigan. It was founded in 1916, has approximately 100 employees, and is managed by its President, Peter Rodruguez Jr. Records archived at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that MAF Collection Services has been accused of unethical collection practices.

Cigdem Dokumaci vs. MAF Collection Services

According to PACER, In or around mid-2009, Florida resident Cigdem Dokumaci allegedly began getting collection calls from MAF Collection Services over a $38.00 debt. He later complained that collectors called him every Sunday up to five times a day, seeking and demanding payment for the alleged debt. When the collectors allegedly began to talk to him in an abusive and harassing manner and leaving threatening voicemail messages telling him that “he better pay up or else”, Mr. Dokumaci hired a consumer attorney and sued MAF Collection Services for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using harassing and abusive means to collect a debt
• Using abusive language
• Using the telephone to harass him

The matter was later resolved.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for MAF Collection Services are:

• 1-813-273-7811
• 1-800-749-7707
• 1-231-946-2500
• 1-800-968-3314

If any of these numbers appear on your caller ID, a debt collector from MAF Collection Services is on the line. If they use the phone to harass you and leave threatening messages, hire an attorney and secure his or her help in filing a lawsuit. You could potentially win $1,000 per FDCPA violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. Your attorney guide you through the process of asserting your rights and seeking the compensation you deserve.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov) File number is 8:09-cv-02488-SCB-TGW from United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.

*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against MAF Collection Services or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.